Window shade adjustment fixture



June 13, 1933. R SCHOFlELD 1,913,902 I WINDOW SHADE ADJUSTMENT FIXTURE v Filed March '7, 1929 4 Sheets-Sheet l 9/ 1 9 ,2. 7 9 44 7 v 7 7 /0 I /0 \QGK Inventor Georqe R. Schofield Attorney June 13, 1933. a. R. SCHOFIELD WINDOW SHADE ADJUSTMENT FIXTURE Filed March 7, 1929 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 Inventor Georqe 2'1 .Schofield June 13, 1933. G. R. SCHOFIELD WINDOW SHADE ADJUSTMENT FIXTURE Filed March '7, 1929 4 Sheets-Sheet 3 Inventor Georqe If .fi'chofield A iiorney Jun 13, 1 933. G. R. SCHOFIELD 1,913,902

WINDOW SHADE ADJUSTMENT FIXTURE Filed March '7, 1929 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 In venior George 7f. ,Sc'hofz'eld A itorney Patented June 13, 1933 UNITED STATES PATENT Fries GEORGE E. SCHOFIELD, OF LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA, ASSIGNOR TO S. G, S. INDUSTRIES,

, IN (1., OF DOVER, DELAW'ARE, A CORPORATION OF DELAWARE WINDOW SHADE ADJUSTMENT FIXTURE Application filed March 7, 1929. Serial No. 345,106.

The present invention relates to improvements in fixtures for attaching a window shade to avwindow and has for its principal object to provide a simple and efficient means 5 for supporting and adjusting a window shade roller at any desired height on the window frame for'the purpose of regulating light and ventilation either from the lower portion of the window or the upper portion thereof.

19 Another important object of the invention is to provide a window shade adjustment fixture constructed in such a manner so as to permit the same to be readily and easily attached to a window frame without necessitating any material alterations and which fixture will at the same time present a neat and attractive appearance from the inside of the room.

A further object of the invention is to provide a window shade fixture of the above mentioned character which will operate freely and at the same time secure and hold thewindow shade in a regular and even positionupon the window, thereby preventing the shade from rolling unevenly or flapping or otherwise becoming displaced.

A still further object is to provide novel means for securing the shade roller against displacement by gravitation after the same has been adjusted to a predetermined position.

An additional object is to provide an operative connection between the units of the fixture disposed at the opposite sides of the window providing for the operation of said units in a uniform manner in order that both ends of the shade roller may be evenly raised or lowered and to further provide for the ad justment of said connecting means in order 40 that the device'may be mounted in position upon windows of varying width.

A still further object is to provide a window shade adjustment fixture that is simple in construction, inexpensive to manufacture,

45 strong and durable, and further well adapted to the purpose for which the same is intended,

Other objects and advantages reside in the special construction, combination and ar- I rangemen-t of the various elements forming 50 the inventlon as more fully hereinafter described and claimed, reference being had to the accompanying drawings forming part hereof, wherein like numerals refer to like parts throughout, and in which:

Figure 1 is a front elevational view ofthe window shade adjustment fixture constructed in accordance with my invention and showing the-same applied to a window frame, 7

Figure 2 is a side elevational view thereof,

Figure 3 is a vertical sectional view through one of the tubular tracks and sprocket wheel mountings at each end thereof adapted for mounting at the sides of the window for adjusting the ends of the shade roller,

Figure 4 is a fragmentary perspective view of the upper end of one of said tracks,

Figure 5 is a vertical sectional View of one of said tracks, taken from a position at the front thereof,

Figures 6 and 7 are perspective views of the guide secured at one end. of the shade stick and illustrating the projection provided for engaging one of gthe sprocket wheels whereby to secure the same against movement in one direction,

Figures 8 and 9 are similar views of the guide carried at the opposite end of the shade stick,

Figure 10 is a group perspective view illustrating the manner of removably mounting the sprocket wheel housing at the ends of thetubular track,

Figure 11 is a side elevational view of one of the shade roller brackets,

Figure 12 is a group perspective view of thebracket and illustrating the manner in which the guide key for the edge of the track is removably carried by the bracket,

Figure 13 is a transverse sectional view through the guide track illustrating the manner in which the shade roller bracket is slidably; mounted in position therein,

Figure 14 is a group perspective view of the adjustable support for the intermediate portion of the operating rod extending between the upper sprockets at the opposite sides of the window, v

Figure 15 is a'front elevational view of azmodified form of sprocket wheel mounting embodying a roller bearing assembly,

Figure 16 is a side elevational view there- Figure 17 is a vertical sectional view through such modified form of the housing,

Figure 18 is a vertical sectional View through one of the sprocket housings illustrating a modified form of locking means for the sprocket wheel, and

Figure 19 is a group perspective View of a form of wedge connector for the ends of a sectional connecting rod between the upper pair of sprocket wheels.

In the drawings, wherein for the purpose of illustration is shown a preferred embodiment of the invention, the numerals 1 and 2 designate a pair of side units that are adapted to be secured at opposite sides of a window frame indicated at A and since said units are of identical construction, the description of one is thought to suiiice for the description of both.

Each of the aforesaid side units includes an elongated tubular track 3 that is substan tially rectangular in cross section, as more clearly disclosed in Figure 13 and is formed with a longitudinally extending slot at at the inner side of each tubular track for a purpose hereinafter more fully described.

The back side of each of the tubular tracks is formed at spaced intervals with keyhole openings 5 adapted to receive suitable fastening means 6, which are preferably in the form of headed nails with the heads protruding outwardly from the window frame for positioning inwardly of the track as clearly illustrated in Figure 3 of the drawings.

The tubular tracks 3 are open at each end and are provided with extensions 7 formed as a part of the back section of the track which extend outwardly from the respective ends of the tubular portion thereof. The section of the side walls of the track, immediately adjacent the back portion thereof is formed with inwardly extending recesses 8 adapted for receiving a tongue 9 formed at the back edge of a substantially rectangular shaped sprocket wheel mounting 10.

The opposite ends of the mounting 10 are open so that its edge adjacent the end of the tubular track has free communication therewith. The back section of the housing is also formed with a key hole opening 11 providing means for detachably securing the housing to the outer face of the extension 7 by means of a headed pin 12 which protrudes outwardly from the extension and adapted for insertion in the opening 11, as will be readily understood from an inspection of Figure 10 of the drawings.

The sides of the uppermost pair of housings 10 are formed with registering openings 13 for receiving the opposite ends of a shaft 14, of a square shapedv formation in cross section, which extends across the face of the upper portion of the window frame.

The shaft 141 is constructed of a diameter materially less than that of the openings 13 formed in the sides of the housing.

A pair of sleeves 15 are mounted within the housing, each sleeve having a bore complemental in cross section to the shaft and adapted for receiving the opposite ends thereof and with the ends of the sleeve journaled for rotation in the openings 13 of the sides of the housing. The portion of the sleeve disposed within the housing 10, is of a slightly enlarged diameter, as indicated at 16, in Figure 5 of the drawings, and constitutes a hub for a sprocket wheel 17;

The ends of the hub, engage the inner sides of the housing so as to maintain the sprocket Wheel in spaced-relation between the sides thereof.

An endless sprocket chain 18 is associated with each unit at the respective sides of the window frame, one flight of the chain being extended within the tubular track 3 for the entire length thereof, while the other flight is disposed outwardly at the front side of said tubular track.

This sprocket chain is trained over the respective sprocket wheels 1'? which are mounted in the respective upper and lower housings as more clearly illustrated in Figure 3 of the drawings. The provision of the shaft at the upper ends of the tubular track for operatively connecting the upper sprocket wheels provides means whereby the sprocket chains may be operated in a uniform manner from either side of the window as will be presently explained.

The present invention further con1prehends the provision of an improved shade roller supporting bracket 19 having'an opening 20 for receiving one end of the shade roller 21, upon which the shade 22 is mounted for operationin a manner well known in the art. The edge of the bracket remote from the opening 20, is adapted for insertion in the slotted opening 1 of the tubular track, said edge of the bracket being formed in wardly of the track with a pair of spaced lateral extensions 21 and 22 respectively disposedadjacent the upper and lower edges of the bracket.

Each of the projections 21 and 22 is formed with oppositely extending angular projections 23 and 24 respectively and each of said angular projections is formed with notches 25 extending inwardly from the respective edges thereof.

The notches 25 are properly spaced apart to receive the successive links of the sprocket chain 18, it being apparent that by reason of the manner in which the notches extend in opposite directions, as will be observed from an inspection of Figure 11, that the chain will iii be securely engaged against accidental displacement. The portion of the bracket material, disposed between the spaced lateral projections 21 and 22, constitutes a guide shown at 26, which is positionedagainst the outer'surface of the tubular track and the adjacent. edges of the lateral projections 21 and 22 are each formed with notches 27 for receiving the opposite end edges of a guide key 28 provided with extensions 29 at the opposite ends thereof for resting upon one surface of the lateral projections 21 and 22 as will be readily understood from an inspection of Figure 12 of the drawings.

The guide key 28 is disposed in spaced relation from the guide 26 and inwardly of the tubular track so that the guide 26 and the guide key 28 will be positioned at the opposite sides of one wall of the track and disposed in frictional engagement with the sides of said wall whereby to retain the brackets in a predetermined adjusted position with respect to the track. i

For the purpose of preventing the free swinging or flapping movement of the lower end portion of the curtain or shade 22, when the same is unrolled from the shade roller, 1 provide a pair of metallic clasps as illustrated in Figures 6 to 9 inclusive of the drawings.

Each of the clasps is constructed of substantially light gauge sheet metal, and is adapted to fit over a respective end of the shade stick 30. One of the clasps shown at 81 is shaped in conformity with the transverse contour of the stick and is fitted snugly thereabout with an an ular extension 32 formed at its outer end for insertion in one of the slotted openings 4 of one of the tubular tracks.

The angular formation of the extension, upon being inserted in the tubular track, will prevent transverse movement of the shade and thus serve to guide the same about the roller in an even manner during the rolling and unrolling of the shade.

The clasp at the opposite end of the shade stick, designated at 33, is formed at its outer edge with an extension 34 which has one end protruding downwardly beyond the horizontal plane of the lower edge of the shade stick and is adapted for positioning in the tubular track at the opposite side of the window frame.

The extension 34 is adapted to move vertically in the tubular track during the raising and lowering of the shade and accordingly when the shade stick reaches the lower edge of the window frame, the projecting end 35 will become wedged between the sprocket chain 18 and the lower sprocket wheel 17 so as to prevent a further downward movement of the shade. V

I A modified form of securing the lower sprocket Wheel against further downward movement, upon the lowering of the shade-a predetermined extent, is illustrated inFigure 18 of the drawings and comprises a' clip member 36, preferably constructed of spring metal and formed with areturn bend intermediate its ends, with its opposite ends positioned at the opposite side ofthe front section of one of the lower sprocket wheel housingslO.

The inwardly disposed end of the clip is formed with an inwardly extending projection 37 adapted for engagement with the teeth of the sprocket wheel upon an upward movement of the'clip so as to prevent the further operation of the sprocket wheel in onedirection. The projection of the clip is of sufiicicnt length to wedge between the wheel and the wall of the housing to prevent upward movement of the projection out of the path of the-teeth. The outwardly disposed end of the clip is formed with a lateral projection '38 constituting a finger grip whereby to enable the clip to be slidably actuated for movement into and out of engagement with the sprocket wheel. 3

Figures 15 to 17 inclusive illustrate a modified form of sprocket housing for the upper end of the tubular track and comprises the formation of an annular extension 39 at the .mner slde of the housing and havlng a central opening formed therein shown at 40 with the edges of said opening constituting a raceway for a ball bearing assembly 41.

A hub member 42 is journaled in said bearing assembly with one end disposed inwardly of the housing for carrying the sprocket wheel 43 and with the opposite end extending outwardly and formed into a reduced pintle 44 for insertion in one end of the shaft 14, which is preferably'of a tubular formation.

Where the device is used upon a substantially wide window frame, the tubular shaft 14 may be constructed of sections, as shown in Figure 19 of the drawings, said sections being designated at 45 and 46 respectively. The abutting ends of the sections of the tubular shaft are secured to each other by interposing a wedge member 47 tapering from the center toward each end for insertion in the ends of the sections and forcing the ends of the section firmly against each other.

A supporting member is provided for the center of the shaft as shown generally at 48 in Figure 1 of the drawings, this supporting member being illustrated in detail in Figure 14. The supporting member includes a window frame attaching bracket 49 having a lateral projection 50- extending outwardly therefrom with a slotted opening 51 formed there- In. 1

- An adjusting screw 52 is inserted through the opening and is alsoextended through a slotted opening 53 formed in an arm 54, the parts being secured in adjusted position 'by means of a wing nut 55 threaded on the screw.

Notches 56 are formed in the edges of the opening 53 to prevent accidental displacement of the screw therein.

A bearing member 57 is journaled for rotation at the outer end of the arm 54 and within which a square shaped opening is formed for receiving the shaft 14 whereby to provide a rotatable support therefor.

The operation of my improved window shade adjusting fixture may be briefly stated as follows. The shade roller is raised or lowered to the desired position on the window by pulling either of the two sprocket chains and the shade roller can be readily and easily rolled from the top by holding the lower end of the shade and at the same time pulling upon the chain so as to release the roller dog and cause the rotation of the roller upon the brackets in a manner well known in the art.

It will thus be seen from the foregoing description that I have provided an adjustable window shade fixture that can be readily and easily installed on a window without necessitating any alteration and furthermore the parts of the device are of such construction as to permit the same to be easily and quickly assembled and disassembled.

Furthermore a structure of this character will at all times prove eflicient in operation, will present a neat and attractive appearance and due to its simplicity may be manufactured at a relatively low cost.

It is obvious that my invention is susceptible of various changes and modifications in construction without departing from the spirit of the invention or the scope of the appended claims, and I accordingly claim all such forms of the device to which I am entitled.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new is:

1. In a window shade adjuster of the type employing a pair of tubular tracks adapted for mounting at the opposite sides of a window frame, a sprocket wheel housing removably supported by the upper and lower ends of each track, asprocket wheel j ournaled therein, said tracks having each a slot on that side facing the other track, a sprocket chain trained over the respective upper and lower sprocket wheels, a shade roller attached to one flight of the chain and means engageable with one of the sprocket wheels for interrupting rotation thereof when the shade rollor has reached an extreme point in its vertical adj ustment.

2. In a window shade adjuster of the type employing a pair of tubular tracks adapted for mounting at the opposite sides of a win dow frame, a sprocket Wheel housing removably supported at the opposite ends of each track, a sprocket wheel journaled therein, said tracks having each a slot on thatside facing the other track, a shade roller supporting chain trained over the respective upper and lower sprocket wheels with one flight of the chain disposed inwardly of its associated track, a pair of shade roller brackets each having one edge disposed for vertical sliding movement in the slotted opening thereof of a track, a pair of oppositely extending projections formed on the inner edge of each of said bracketshaving notches formed therein for receiving the links of the inner flight of the chain whereby to attach the brackets for movement with said chain, guide means formed on the brackets'and disposed outwardly of the track and a guide key removablycarried by each of said brackets and disposed inwardly of the'tracks and cooperatlng with the outwardly disposed guide means for :frictionally engaging the opposite sides of one of the walls of the track whereby to secure the brackets in a predetermined adjusted position. 7

3. In a window shade adjuster of the type employing a pair of tubular tracks adapted for mounting at the opposite sides of a window frame, a sprocket wheel housing removably supported at the opposite ends of each track, a sprocket wheel journaled therein, said tracks each having a slot on that side facing the other track, a shade roller supporting chain trained over the respective upper and lower sprocket wheels with one flight of the chain disposed inwardly of its associated track, a pair of shade roller brackets each having one edge disposed inwardly of one of the respective tracks for vertical sliding movement in the slotted opening thereof, a pair of oppositely extending projections formed on the inner edge of each of said brackets having notches formed therein for receiving the links of the inner flight of the chain whereby to attach the brackets for movement with said chain, guide means formed on the brackets and disposed outwardly of the track and a guide key removably carried by each of said brackets and disposed inwardly of the tracks and cooperating with the outwardly disposed guide means for frictionally engaging the opposite sides of one of the walls of each track whereby to secure the brackets in a predetermined adjusted position, said guide key being further disposed in overlapping relation with respect to the edges of its associated slotted opening in the track and cooperating with the guide means outwardly of the track whereby to prevent transverse movement of the shade bracket.

4. In a window shade adjuster of the type employing a pair of tubular tracks adapted for mounting at the opposite sides of a win dow frame, said tracks each having a slot on that side facing the other track, a sprocket wheel housing removably supported by the upper and lower end of each track, an annular extension formed at one side ofeach of said housings, a ball bearing assembly mounted in each of said extensions, a sprocket wheel disposed within each housing having a hub rotatably supported by said bearing assembly, a shaft extending transversely of the Window frame with its ends attached to the respective sprocket hubs at the opposite sides of the frame and a shade roller supporting chain trained over the respective upper and lower sprocket wheels, said chains being adapted for simultaneous operation by reason of the operative connection of the'uppermost sprocket wheels by said shaft.

5. In a window shade adjuster of the type employing a pair of tubular tracks adapted for mounting at the opposite sides of a window frame, a sprocket wheel housing removably supported by the upper and lower end of each track, a sprocketwheel journaled in 2 each housing, a shade roller supporting chain trained over the respective upper and lower sprocket wheels, a transversely extending shaft connecting the upper pair of sprocket wheels for the simultaneous operation of the chains and a supporting bracket attached to the window frame intermediate the sides thereof and having an arm projecting outwardly therefrom with a bearing at its outer end for rotatably supporting said shaft. In testimony whereof I aflix my signature.

GEORGE R. SOHOFIELD. 

